Allianz Asset Management GmbH Has $740,000 Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Key Points

• Allianz Asset Management GmbH reduced its holdings in The Ensign Group by 39.9% during the first quarter, selling 3,800 shares, bringing its total ownership to 5,715 shares valued at $740,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including LPL Financial LLC and Franklin Resources Inc., have significantly increased their stakes in The Ensign Group, despite overall hedge funds and institutional investors owning 96.12% of the company's stock.
• Analysts have given The Ensign Group a "Moderate Buy" rating with a current average price target of $167.67, providing optimistic growth forecasts following their recent earnings report showing an 18.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Allianz Asset Management GmbH cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 39.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,715 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,800 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock worth $464,630,000 after buying an additional 159,691 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,701,000 after purchasing an additional 86,676 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 461,353 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,295,000 after purchasing an additional 19,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,467,000 after purchasing an additional 102,782 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $157.92. The company had a trading volume of 534,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 434,453. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $9.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.22. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,274,724.96. This represents a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Macquarie lowered their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial set a $165.00 price objective on The Ensign Group and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $167.67.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.